Welcome to this month’s “Looking Ahead” feature for September 2021…

…where we take a look at the events, occasions, anniversaries and holidays that we can use as the foundation for event-driven marketing promotions in the coming month.

Of course, take due account of any pandemic restrictions that affect your business or customers…but there’s no need to hold back on your marketing.

Note that a number of events that are usually held at this time of year have been cancelled. That includes the famous Oktoberfest in Germany that usually starts in September.

It’s a time of a change of seasons. The September Equinox falls on September 22 at 19.21 UT (that’s 20.21 UK time…check for your particular location).

It’s Autumn in the north and Spring in the south…

…and these can be used as broad themes for a promotion.

Tied in with these, in the northern hemisphere it’s normally “Back to School” or “Back to Work” and the start of the run-in to the end of the year. In the current emergency situation, those ideas might need to be modified.

In the southern hemisphere, “Spring Time” or “Spring Cleaning” can be used as a theme.

Looking at some specific occasions… [Read more…]

Ron Popeil…legendary pitchman and self proclaimed “Salesman of the Century” (I assume Ron was talking about the 20th century) has moved on the great shopping channel in the sky (28 July 2021). From the UK “Daily Telegraph”…

“Ron Popeil, the self-styled ‘Greatest salesman of the [20th] Century’, who has died aged 86, was the founder of Ronco, purveyor of products with brand names often ending in “O-Matic”, that you never knew you needed – and probably discovered, too late, that you did not need.

His career began working for his father Samuel, a Chicago-based manufacturer of run-of-the-mill kitchen devices who had developed a sideline as an inventor of gadgets such as the Citrex juice extractor, the Toastette sandwich-pie maker and the Slice-a-Way cutting board.

Samuel also created the Chop-O-Matic, an onion-chopper employing a rotating, spring-loaded steel blade. At first, the Popeils sold the Chop-O-Matic through live demonstrations at flea markets, dime stores and at Woolworth’s. But in 1958 Ron began selling the gadget on television.

He made a five-minute commercial, reprising his sing-song street-vendor pitch: ‘Ladies and gentlemen, I’m going to show you the greatest kitchen appliance ever made … If you order right now, the price is not $5.98, but $3.98. That’s right, $3.98. As a special bonus, you will receive with your Chop-O-Matic at no additional charge a valuable recipe book: 50 Secret Recipes by World Famous Chefs.'”

The big breakthrough for the Popeils came with the Veg-O-Matic, launched in 1963. The following year Ron founded Ronco, which went on to market hundreds of “amazing” gadgets to television audiences around the world, pioneering what became known as “infomercials” and, on packaging and in the print media, puffs featuring the phrase “As seen on TV”.

I’ve mentioned before the documentary… [Read more…]

Welcome to this month’s “Looking Ahead” feature. While the Covid-19 emergency can’t be considered over…life is slowly returning to something like normal.

So…while taking due account of any restrictions that affect your business or customers…there’s no need to hold back on your marketing.

There are no major holidays this month. In the northern hemisphere it’s the dog days of summer. In the south it’s the last blast of winter. These “seasonal” themes are available to you if there’s nothing else that’s suitable.

August is also a “Back To School” month for many northern hemisphere countries…although that may be affected by Covid-19 restrictions.

It’s also “Elvis Week”, August 9-17. Elvis Presley moved on to the “great gig in the sky” 44 years ago on 16 August, 1977.

Other events… [Read more…]

“If you can fake authenticity…you’ve got it made!” (Old…cynical…marketing adage)

As always, an insightful and amusing cartoon from the great Tom Fishburne. Well worth reading the whole thing at “influencer marketing and authenticity”.

Tom reports… [Read more…]

Time for our regular look ahead…this time at the month of July 2021…at the events, occasions, holidays and anniversaries that can form the basis for a marketing promotion.

Two big ideas stand out.

The first is…we are in the second half of the year. July 1 is sometimes referred to as “Second Half Of The Year Day”.

As with any milestones like this, it’s an opportunity to give people a bit of a jolt and get them to review their goals and plans for the year.

Of course, if they are off-track a little you might well be able to help them get back on track!

Secondly…

…it’s Summer (in the northern hemisphere)…

…but the depths of Winter if you’re in the southern hemisphere.

In the USA July 4 is the great national occasion…“Independence Day”. This theme of independence is very much a universal ideal and so can be used pretty much in any country. The idea of “personal independence” can be the basis for a promotion in many different markets. It’s worth keeping in mind that one of the primary reasons people go into business for themselves is the desire for freedom and independence.

Taking a look at some specific occasions… [Read more…]